Penticton

New town hall best option

Staff with the Town of Osoyoos will be bringing a report to council soon to get the ball rolling on building a new town hall.

The current 50-plus-year-old building needs to be replaced, as staff pointed out in a report heard by mayor and council on Monday.

An assessment done by David Nairne and Associates said constructing a new town hall would cost about $3.5 million in a five-year period, and the report pointed out it would be cheaper than renovating the existing structure.

The assessment said there is concerns of rotting in part of the floor framing, water ingress in part of the wall and fire safety hazards, among other risks.

Coun. C.J. Rhodes said the cost of the work makes it a "monumental project" for the town to take on.

Staff had recommended to make room in the 2019 budget to begin planning, but council members said they would rather see planning begin this year based on the condition of the building.

"Is there some way we can speed this up?" Rhodes asked on Monday. "When you read about fire safety, roofs and floors collapsing, these are not things that usually get better. They have a tendency to get a lot worse."

Town manager Barry Romanko said if the project isn't included in this year's budget, planning could still begin if other major jobs are completed under budget.

In its assessment, the consultant said year one of the five-year project would need only about $35,000 for planning.

Year two would need just under $300,000, while years three to five would need about $3.2 million, collectively.